Alex Smith fires back at Tom Brady over NFL ‘mediocrity’ comments, notes Brady played in a ‘cupcake division’

Former NFL quarterback Alex Smith had some strong words regarding Tom Brady’s comments about there being “a lot of mediocrity” in the league right now. Brady made headlines last week when he appeared on The Stephen A. Smith Show and criticized multiple facets of the league from the quality of coaching to the toughness of the players.

Smith appeared on ESPN’s Sunday NFL Countdown and pointed out the hypocrisy in Brady’s comments. After all, the seven-time Super Bowl Champion won his last ring just two years ago and was still playing at the start of 2023.

“Listen, first off, let me just preface this: I love Tom and he’s the GOAT. But first off, he hasn’t been retired that long,” Smith said. “He was just playing. He just won a Super Bowl in the current game. Is he discounting that one?”

Smith then suggested that Brady’s views are skewed because of the opponents he faced most of his career. Brady earned six of his rings when he played for Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots from the time he was drafted in 2000 until 2020 when he joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He registered a 90-22 record against AFC East opponents when he was with the Patriots. Brady then went 12-6 against the NFC South during his three seasons in Tampa Bay.

“He played in the most uncompetitive division, I think, in NFL history,” Smith said. “You come out of training camp in the biggest cupcake division. You got a ticket to the playoffs right away. Talk about mediocre.”

While Brady said he thinks the product “is less than what it’s been,” Smith likes what he is seeing.

“There’s more parity across the league. Quarterback play is at an all-time high in the league. You’ve got the best athletes playing the position. We didn’t have this 30-40 years ago. And then, also he’s referencing offensive numbers are down. To me, in think we’re in a golden age of D-linemen,” Smith said.

Smith hasn’t been the only one to publicly disagree. Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders expressed his opinion on Robert Griffin III’s podcast.

“I still see a great product. Still see great teams,” Sanders said recently.